1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to integration of personal computers (PCs) and telephony devices, and more particularly to key telephone systems and trading turrets.
2. Related Art
A trading voice communications system is a specialized key telephone system that allows a relatively small number of users to access a large number of external lines and provides enhanced communication features such as hoot-n-holler, push-to-talk, intercom, video and large-scale conferencing. These features are often utilized in the financial industry such as trading floor environments, as well as security/law enforcement, utilities, healthcare, and customer support (e.g., contact centers) environments.
Users interface with the trading voice communications system through a trading turret desktop device, which is typically a modular, voice communications desktop device with multiple handsets, speakers and buttons including a variety of programmable buttons. Some of these buttons represent private lines with external trading partners or extension numbers of internal traders. Either traders themselves or operations support personnel program (or assign functions to) the buttons on a turret. A typical turret also has a variety of screens for rendering the status of buttons and other applications.
Financial trading floors are typically fast paced and tightly packed environments. With space at a premium and for other collaboration and productivity reasons, the trading desks are typically small and arranged adjacent to each other.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical trading desk arrangement. As shown in FIG. 1, a trading desk is typically equipped with a personal computer (PC) 102 connected to several monitors 104, a mouse 106, a keyboard 108 (i.e., user interface devices) and a trading turret 110. The arrangement of these devices on the trader's desk is not arbitrary. This arrangement is very carefully designed with the goals of achieving maximum trader speed and productivity.
Typically, the trading turret 110 and the PC 102 are two completely decoupled devices. The trader interacts with the PC 102 through the monitors 104, keyboard 108 and mouse 106 and interacts with the trading turret 110 by pressing the keys on the turret and through audio mediums such as a handset and speakers.
FIG. 2 depicts a typical personal computer (PC) windowing system. In conventional PC windowing systems, input devices such as keyboard 208 and mouse 206 are handled directly by the windowing system 202. Particularly, mouse movements and keyboard inputs are delivered directly to the windowing system 202 and used to visually manipulate controls on the screens 210 generated by the applications running on the PC.
Lacking in today's trading desk arrangement is the ability to extend the functionality of the keyboard and mouse that are connected to a PC for interacting with a turret device to provide a converged desktop surface between the PC and a turret.